Casey Samson | Surviving as a business with no events during COVID
Today we're talking with Casey Samson of Samson Historical about the roller coaster of the last two years. This conversation isn't about COVID, it's about the impact it had on the businesses and events of muzzleloading and living history.
Casey, Abby, and the team at Samson Historical changed a lot about how their business operated to survive a total shift in how they reached their customers. With just about every event canceled for nearly two years, the Samsons were looking at inventory like a coffin instead of an asset.
The Samson Historical Team, 2022
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The Samson Family went back to their roots as a small, family-owned business and began moving quickly to learn new skills and advance what they knew to keep up with the times. Selling items based on designs 200 years old doesn’t mean they are shackled to old business practices. Casey and Abby got knee deep in digital marketing, figuring out how to cash in on the e-commerce boom of 2020. They also took a big bet with their catalog. The Samson Historical Catalog releases yearly at the Kalamazoo Living History Show, but after it’s cancellation in 2020, the Samsons were left with a pallet of catalogs and no way to get them out to customers. Thinking quickly, Casey and Abby began digitally collecting addresses and mailing as many catalogs as they could. ”I remember thinking, this could literally be the last nail in our coffin”, Casey said as he remembered looking at the first shipment of catalogs going out on a USPS truck. Thankfully the bet paid off and shortly after mailing the orders began flowing in. The most popular products? Tomahawks and fire starting kits. “It seemed liked everyone needed a tomahawk and a flint and steel to get through the lockdowns” Samson shared.
I personally really enjoyed catching up with Casey and hearing about the progress they’ve made as a team at Samson Historical. Small businesses are the backbone of America and hearing a positive story like this makes me hopeful for the future of the community and the businesses it depends on. Casey and I also chat about some tips he has for other business owners and entrepreneurs, as well as some more stories for those of you looking to learn more from or about the Samson family.
Samson Historical is a top-quality provider of documented 18th century reproductions. Our passion for education and living history has carried us to partnerships with over 20 skilled artisans, allowing us to offer a wide array of period-accurate clothing, accessories, home goods, and more. Whether you are a historic interpreter, reenactor, or collector, you can find the piece of the past you have been searching for here.